


The Tale of the Cursed Twins

by thegingersnaps



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Curses, Happy Ending, Multi, Sleeping Beauty Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2020-06-23 21:13:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19709563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegingersnaps/pseuds/thegingersnaps
Summary: Once upon a time, there lived a prince and a princess who were twins. On their sixteenth birthday a curse will befall them. One will be taken and one will go to rescue them. The catch? The curse will only break if the kidnapped twin's true love aids in the rescue. Without all the key players, the twin will never be saved and the kingdom will fall.





	1. Chapter 1

*Prologue*

Once upon a time in a land far, far away there sat the kingdom of Beacon. Beacon was a modest kingdom, but even still, the people were happy. The citizens say that their happiness is due to the beloved King and Queen. The King and Queen were fair and kind and just. They believed that the best way to run a kingdom was to make sure that the people were listened to. Their people were happy and that made the King and Queen happy, for the most part.

King Noah and Queen Claudia had peace and prosperity, but what they wanted the most, were children. They tried and tried for years, but still they were not blessed with children. That was until one day a traveling faire was visiting and because of the hospitality and kindness that was shown to them, they gave the King and the Queen a blessing of fertility. Sure enough a few weeks later the King and Queen announce that they are expecting their first child!

The kingdom was overjoyed and celebrated all throughout the land. When the Queen was about due the traveling faire came back for a visit. But the faire was distraught. They said that the blessed child was actually the blessed children, the Queen was having twins. While the King and the Queen were thrilled, it did not last. The faire continued to say that a curse had been placed on the twins. The twins would not survive past their sixteenth birthday.

The faire said that while the curse could not be removed, it could be altered, in order to give the royal family hope and a chance for survival. The faire changed the curse so that on their sixteenth birthday one of the twins would be taken far away and placed under a spell. The twin not taken would be sent on a quest to rescue their twin. The only way for the twins to be reunited is with the help of the lost twin's true love. If they succeed the kingdom will flourish, but if the lost twin is not rescued, the kingdom will fall, for one twin can not lead without the other.

Chapter 1

Despite knowing from birth that they were cursed, Stiles always felt that he and Lydia grew up as normal as they could. Their parents could have possibly worried a bit more than others, but Stiles felt that it was justified given that not only were they the next rulers of the kingdom, but were also cursed. That being said their parents never attempted to pressure them to thwart the curse, or try to "find their one true love" who will help their sibling save them. The King and Queen were wise enough to know that that wasn't how curses worked. They couldn't make the twins find their true loves, and they accepted that they couldn't even stop the curses from happening. All they could do was prepare.

From an early age everyone knew that Stiles and Lydia were almost too smart for their own good. This was confirmed when the twins were seven years old and managed to set part of the east wing on fire. Stiles always tried to argue that the fire wasn't even that big and no one was injured and nothing of real importance was damaged. The guards never seemed to care for that argument, nor did their parents. No one was able to figure out how the fire was set either, and the twins never told a soul what had happened.

After that incident, their parents decided it would probably be wise if the twins were given a better outlet for their abundant energy. Stiles was sent to sword lessons with the best teacher in Beacon, Peter Hale, brother of the Capitan. Peter was odd and stern but was a swords master and had endless patience with Stiles' questions and blunders and misplaced energy. They were actually a good match as teacher and student, as Stiles had a million questions and Peter, well Peter loved to talk. 

Originally Lydia was sent to the best dance school in Beacon as a way to build her grace and balance and to wear her down. It wasn't for a few months before her and Stiles realized that the curse could mean that either of them would be taken, which meant that either of them would have to lead the rescue. They had all been working under the assumption that Lydia would be taken and Stiles would be the rescuer. Lydia was the first to point out the sexism in that thought process. Once they realized it might not be that way, Lydia quit dance and joined Stiles in lessons with Peter. 

Of course sword lessons were not enough to completely wear them down, so they decided to increase their studies as future King and Queen. Since it was already pre-destined that they would have to rule together, they divided and concurred different areas. Stiles had a knack for research and history. He learned everything about Beacon's history and the history of the kingdoms around them. He studied the treaties they had and learned how they were made and broken. Add that to his quick mind and natural charm and he become an expert in negotiations and started sitting in on talks with his father and other kingdoms. 

Lydia's talents laid in numbers and economics, so she set of to make sure the entire kingdom didn't crumble under bankruptcy, or so she said to Stiles. By the time she was 11 she had created and implemented a completely new tax system. This one was designated to not overtax the poor while making sure the wealthy made positive contributions to their kingdom. She also created a barter system so those where were unable to pay taxes could provide the kingdom with support other ways, which could have been a painter painting the new church or a barber offering to give the military free haircuts or a blacksmith helping make new horseshoes for people. 

When the twins turned 12 years old, Stiles was introduced to two of the most important people in his life. Derek Hale, son of Captain Thalia Hale and nephew of Peter, was starting to become an exceptional sword master and was set to enter the military when he turned 18 in two years. His two sisters, Cora and Laura, were also expert swordspeople. Combined this with the twins' desperate need to interact with people their own age led to the Hales joining Peter in helping train the young royals. Of course, no one expected Cora Hale to break Stiles' arm. 

The Hales were urban myths in Beacon. It was said that their ancestors ran with wolves and thought of the wolves as part of their family and the wolves considered them part of the pack. The Hales were granted powers of the wolf in honor of their bond. This gave them unnatural strength and heightened senses and some said it gave them the ability to take on features of the wolves. Stiles and Lydia never were sure that was true, but their first interaction with the Hale siblings left them wondering. 

It wasn't that Cora really meant to hurt Stiles, but Stiles was distracted asking Laura a thousand questions about her military training to pay attention. When Cora attacked, Stiles was caught off guard. This led to Cora hitting Stiles too hard, harder than should have been possible from an 11 year old, knocking him off his feet and him landing on his arm. All Stiles registered was Cora's look of shock and hearing the bone in his arm snap. One minute he felt the flare of pain and the next he was in someone's arms and the next after that he was in the infirmary. 

Once Stiles was laying in a bed he felt confident enough to open his eyes. He saw Derek Hale staring down at him, saying nothing. All through practice Derek had looked at Stiles like he wanted to cause him physical harm, unfortunately his sister beat him to him. All he did was stand beside Stiles' bed, saying nothing but watching everything.

Coincidentally it was because of this accident that led Stiles to meeting the next important person in his life, Scott McCall. The doctor, Melissa McCall had just moved into the castle to take over the royal medical practice when Stiles was brought In. Scott decided it was his job to make sure Stiles was distracted while Melissa examined him. It only took 10 minutes for Scott and Stiles to realize they were long lost brothers. Derek looked like he wanted to bash his head in the entire time but never left Stiles' side. 

So Stiles ended the day with a new best friend, a surly bodyguard and a nice looking cast. 

Lydia met her best friend when they were 12 also. The royal family was on a trip to Argent Kingdom to negotiate trade routes with them. The first night there was a banquet in honor of the visit and Lydia was introduced to Princess Allison. Lydia decided on first glance that Allison would be her best friend. They cemented their bond during that week Lydia taught Allison about economics and Allison taught Lydia how to shoot a bow and arrow. 

Of course this led to Allison visiting Beacon a few months later and that is how Allison and Scott met. It was a love at first sight kind of meeting. Stiles and Lydia had never before seen Scott stutter like he did. They had also never seen Allison turn the shade of red that she did. Allison stayed in Beacon for two weeks and Allison and Scott attempted to spend as much time as they could together. By the time Allison left Scott had already professed his love and that was that. 

While Allison and Scott found their true love easily, Stiles and Lydia were never certain that their journey would be a simple. The twins where 14 when they met Jackson Whitmore, adopted son of the King and Queen of Kanima. Jackson and Lydia met at a ball that was held in honor of his 15th birthday. When they met, neither of them knew who the other was and to be honest Lydia was not impressed at all when she discovered who Jackson was. It wasn't until the next morning when Jackson was escorting her to her carriage and asked if it was alright for him to write her that she felt the spark of something. Their love developed slowly and deeply. One day, during sword practice, Lydia seemed distracted until she dropped her sword and ran out of the room. The next thing Stiles knew she was packing a bag and taking a trip to Kanima to tell Jackson how she felt. 

And so the first twin found their true love. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

On their 14th birthdays the twins discovered that their shared curse wasn't the only things that made them different from other people. They discovered that they were gifted with powers. 

Stiles found that he had a spark for doing magic and spells, so he started training under the local mage Deacon. He learned that he was the best with his magic when he infused objects with specific purposes. He started small, like making Laura a pair of socks that never let her feet get cold or how he made his mom shoes that never scuffed or broke. After a few month he was able to work up to some harder stuff like he made Scott a pendant that would heat up if an asthma attack was coming on and a protective charm for Derek when he was on duty. The more he practiced the more he was able to grow in his powers. He knew once he had practiced enough and was powerful enough he would be able to help the citizens of his kingdom. 

Lydia would never admit it out-loud but she felt she got the short straw when it came to their powers. While her powers unlocked when she was 14, it took her a lot longer to realize what her powers actually were. She was able to sense death and was able to get glimpses of the future, but only when it had something to do with death. They started out fuzzy and intense and she was never able to do anything about them. Like Stiles, she had to practice her powers in order to grow stronger. 

The visions would hit her with no warning, and with no regard for her surroundings. She once had a vision in the middle of sparring with Laura Hale which resulting in her getting a black eye. Stiles made her several charm for a bracelet to help her. One was to protect her from injury when a vision hit, another to focus her visions and another to relieve her from the headaches to follow. With these, combined with her practice, she was able to start to use those visions to save the people in them. The visions ranged from a child who fell in well, to a mine shaft collapsing. 

Stiles and Lydia would always wonder if it was possible that their powers were part of the faire's alteration to the curse in order to help them. They'd never met the faire who helped their parents, so they could only guess.

****** 

"Ugh, you're not even trying Sti" Lydia whacked him with the flat of her sword, 

"My dear sister, I have no idea what you are talking about. I am as alert and focused as I always am." The look on Lydia's face made him think that he probably didn't have his twin fooled. 

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't today the first Monday in August?" Peter questioned from across the room where he was observing them.

Stiles sent him a look that he hope conveyed how much he wanted Peter to shut up. "I have no clue, why would that matter?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Wait a minute, isn't today when a certain soldier gets back from his first tour duty on the border?" Stiles knew that have a genius twin would come back to bite him, she never forgot anything. 

Sure Stiles had been possibly counting down the days until Derek returned from his border duty, but why was that either of their businesses. Derek had been his friend and bodyguard since he was 11, he missed having his shadow around. Six months was a long time for a 15 year old to wait around. 

"Maybe that is enough sword practice for today, since it appears Prince Stiles can't keep his eyes off the window," Peter chuckled and began to put away his sword and equipment,

"That's not..." but before he could finish the thought, he felt the hairs on his neck stand up. He dropped his sword and ran out the door, shouting apologies to everyone that he bumped into along the way. By the time he reached the courtyard the horses had already arrived and were unloading and Derek was nowhere to be seen. 

"Looking for someone?" a voice asked in his ear causing him to jump. 

"Dang it Derek, how do you always do that?" Stiles clutched at his chest and spun around. The next thing out of his mouth was suppose to be something witty to help him regain control of this and not look so completely mortified, but all that came out was, "Holy beard".

When Derek had left for border patrol six months ago, he had been baby faced and still looked so much like the rookie he was. It seemed though, that Derek decided that shaving was too much of a hassle while in the middle of nowhere and grew a beard. Somehow the beard added a few years to his face and made it look like Derek was actually an adult. 

"Don't get too use to it, now that I'm back in the capital the Capitan will make me shave it." 

"Oh come on, I bet your mom is gonna take one look at that thing and demand that everyone in the military grows a beard, even Laura." Stiles countered.

"Or maybe when you become King you can just make it a law," Derek bent down and picked up his traveling bag and started walking in the direction of the castle, causing Stiles to hurry after him.

"Maybe I will. I think it would be a great idea. Wait, where are we going? Shouldn't we be heading towards your family home to put your stuff away? Why are we heading toward the castle?" 

Derek was quiet for a second, and while quiet was Derek's natural default, this quiet seemed like Derek was trying to think of how to tell him something. 

"Well actually, I got news the other week about my new job," Derek began, making Stiles nervous.

"I thought you were going into light guard duty around the capital?" Stiles knew that Captain Thalia didn't want Derek anywhere near trouble any more than Stiles did. 

"I was suppose to, but it looks like I'm going to doing something that is going to be a lot more work and a lot more stressful." 

"Is it going to be dangerous?" and now Stiles was freaking out a bit.

"It has the potential, especially in the next few months." Derek hedged. 

"I don't understand, are we expecting trouble somewhere? I hadn't heard anything about it yet," by now Stiles realized that they were slowing down in front of a room that was around the corner from Stiles's room.

"Yeah, well the rumor is that the crown prince and princess are cursed or something and their sixteenth birthday is in 6 months, so the King and Queen are apparently trying to get guards they trust to keep an eye on them." Derek turned and smiled at him.

"No way! You're going to be our guard? This is so awesome. We are going to be so well protected and we are going to have so much fun. Although I guess I should be a bit unhappy that my parents think that we need guards, yet it's not surprising. But honestly the curse is going to happy with or without you guarding us, no that I don't think you're going to do a great job. You will."

Stiles was honestly not that surprised that out of all the guards in the kingdom, his parents would choose Derek as his guard. Derek has been watching out for Stiles and Lydia since they met and that was before Derek was even in the military. 

"Well it's not going to be just me. Laura is also going to be assigned here and Erica and Boyd are also going to be the night shift guards." Derek explained as he opened the door to his room. 

"You and Laura and Erica and Boyd, this is the most awesome dream guard team. I have never felt more safe in my life." Stiles grinned. Erica and Boyd where a married couple in the military that had been castle guards for several years. Erica was great at helping Stiles pull pranks, mostly on Boyd and Scott. 

"Yes, it's going to be great, now I have to unpack and shave," Derek said as he walked in the room and closed the door, making Stiles whine in protest over the thought of losing the sight of the awesome beard. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Can you believe that you guys turn 16 tomorrow?" Scott asked Lydia and Stiles after dinner. They were in Stiles's room with Derek, Laura, Erica, Boyd and Allison and Jackson, who had traveled to Beacon to celebrate with them and to be there for them for the next day.  
"Do we really have to talk about this?" Lydia asked.  
She and Stiles hadn't be sleeping well for the past week, they had been staying up most nights discussing what they thought would happen. Lydia was becoming increasingly worried that since Stiles hadn't found his "true love" that they were doomed. Stiles tried to convince her there wasn't anything to worry about, that they could defeat the curse, true love or not.  
"It's ok Lydia, we are as prepared for this as we can be. We've always known this was coming," Jackson put his arm around her and pulled her close.  
"Yeah, but I still wish we didn't have to talk about it. Sixteenth birthdays are suppose to be for parties and coming of age and enjoying life. Not about worrying about the chance that you or your twin will be kidnapped." Lydia huffed.

"I'm with Lydia, let's change the subject," Allison piped up from where she was sitting next to Scott, where they were trying to discretely hold hands.  
Ever since Allison and Scott shared their feelings with each other, Allison's family had been less than thrilled with Allison's choice in partner. Allison's father wasn't overly against it, but her mother, aunt and grandfather had all made their feelings known. Because of this the pair decided to keep their relationship quiet. While they knew they could be opened around their friends, it had become a habit at that point to be discreet.   
"Oh, someone tell a story, something not dark and depressing," Stiles chimed in.   
Lydia took a second to study her twin. While neither of them had been sleeping, it showed on Stiles more than it did on her. He had bags around his eyes and seemed paler than usual, if that was possible. Stiles had always had problems with fidgeting, but it's gotten worse in the week. He always seemed to have something in his hands that he was working on, Lydia was pretty sure they were slightly magical. Currently he was braiding, what looked like a bracelet. If Lydia was right, that would make the 10th bracelet he'd made in the past week.   
"You know, our mom used to tell us a story when we were kids about our family history. Derek, tell it," Laura spoke up after a moment of silence.  
"Why do I have to tell it?" Derek glared at his sister.   
"Cause I'm the senior guard and I said so," Laura shrugged. Lydia saw Derek roll his eyes, but she caught a small smile starting to form.  
"Come on Derek, tell it," Scott said, Erica and Allision seconded. It was only when Stiles also voiced his agreement that Derek shifted in his seat.  
After a second, Derek sighed, smiled and took a breath.   
"If you didn't already know, the crest of the Hales includes a wolf and the moon. The reason for that is because the Hales have always been known to be close to the wolves.  
A long time ago it is said that a Hale who was a hunter once saw a wolf that had gotten caught in a trap while he was out on a night hunt. The hunter knew that he had two choices in that moment. He could kill the wolf and bring home a pelt and more meat to help his family last the winter, or he could help the wolf and save it's life. He didn't know what to do, until all of the sudden the wolf looked up at him and the hunter saw his soul reflected in the wolf's eyes.  
So the hunter helped cut the wolf free. He expected the wolf to take off immediately, but it didn't. Instead the wolf lifted his head to the sky and howled up to the full moon. At that moment the hunter felt a deep power run through his veins. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that the wolf had given him the blessing of the wolf and of the moon. The blessing gave him traits of the wolf. He was able to lift more and not get sick or injured, his eyes could see in the dark and he was able to hear farther and clearer. Every month on the full moon the hunter felt the wolf blessing get stronger and he would be able to change into a wolf and run with the pack of the wolf he saved.   
When the hunter had children, the blessing was apart of them. Soon, every full moon the family would be able to run as wolves. For generations the blessing was passed down, from father to son, from mother to daughter. The Hale family soon became a pack of their own.  
One day a young Hale was running through the woods when she became caught in a trap, similar to the one she had heard about that trapped the wolf who blessed her family. The girl was certain that she would die long before her father or brothers would find her as she was far from home. She cried in desperation until she heard someone coming upon her. It was a women that the girl didn't know. The lady hesitated only a second before helping the girl free herself. In return the girl brought the women to her family.   
When the women introduced herself to the father, he became aware that the women who saved his daughter was the Queen of the land. The Hales had not previously interacted with the kingdom and their society, but they knew who their King and Queen were. At that moment the father realized what was happening. The wolf had blessed his ancestors with traits of the wolf as a payment for saving their life. The father knew it was his destiny to use his blessing and protect the royal family as payment for the kindness the Queen had shown to them.  
And so, the Hales pledged themselves to serve the kingdom of Beacon."  
Everyone in the room remained quiet for a heartbeat before bursting into questions.   
"Does this mean your family are part wolves?"   
"Is that why you're so good at swordsmanship?"   
"Can you really see and hear better than we can?"  
"Do you turn into wolves on the full moon?"   
Derek and Laura grinned as everyone continued their questions.   
"Would you look at the time, I think it's about time that everyone heads off to their own rooms and try to get some sleep." Laura gestured to the door.   
"Like we could sleep after that!" Jackson argued.   
"To bed." Derek made a show of getting up out of his chair and heading towards the door.   
"You are no fun, but I would admit that you are an excellent storyteller," Stiles called out as everyone else grumbled out the door. Lydia was pretty sure that she saw the start of a blush on Derek's face, but the candlelight was dim, so she couldn't be sure as he left.   
Lydia hung back for a moment and looked at her twin. During Derek's story Stiles finished his latest bracelet that was made up of different types of greens and browns. Lydia thought it looks similar to Derek's eyes.   
"What are the bracelets for?" Lydia asked.   
"Luck, I think."  
"You've made 10, correct?" Lydia waited for a Stiles nod of confirmation. "Well, who's the 10th person?"   
"What do you mean?" Stiles asked, tilting his head in confusion.  
"Well obviously you made one for you and me. I'm pretty sure the others are for Scott, Jackson, Allison, Laura, Erica, Boyd and Derek. Somehow all of them are tied into our destiny at this point. That's only 9 people though, so who's the 10th?"   
"I'm not sure. I just felt compelled to make 10 of these. I think you're right though. We should get these to them before tomorrow. It seems important. As for the 10th one, I think you need to hold onto it for now. You'll know who to give it to."   
Lydia shrugged, knowing better than to question Stiles's gut. She held out her hand and accepted 5 of the bracelets. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew the ones with reds and oranges were for her, the red and black was for Jackson, silver and white for Allison, black and green for Laura and the mysterious bracelet was blue and green.   
Stiles and Lydia said their goodnights and Lydia went to pass out her bracelets. Once that was complete she headed to her room and prayed for sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Lydia woke up, or as close to waking up as one can get after a night of no actual sleep. Normally she'd worry about bags under her eyes or accidentally falling asleep during something, but not today. Today was the day that would affect the rest of her life, and that of Stiles, their family and friends and their kingdom. Today their curse would begin.

Lydia took care dressing, wearing a comfortable dress and shoes she knows are both sturdy and will survive travel in. She wore no jewels that could get broken or stolen, only the woven band Stiles made for her. Allison came in and pulled her hair into one of her famous magnificent braids that she swears is both beautiful and functional.

As the friends and Laura made their way to breakfast, the palace was coming alive. Guards were stationed in every hall, room and entrance. The only people who were allowed in were trusted maids and cooks who had been serving the kingdom since before the twins were born. 

Sixteen was traditionally a mark into adulthood and was celebrated as such. Stiles and Lydia promised each other that once they had defeated the curse, they too would throw a party. Lydia vowed to make it the best party the kingdom had ever seen, and she would get to throw it. They would not fail. They could not fail. 

Tonight would be a small dinner, with their friends and family, they hoped. No one was sure when the curse would begin, it could technically happen at any moment. Lydia had a feeling it would be after sundown though. 

"So what exactly should we do today while we wait?" Stiles asked as he slid into the empty seat next to Lydia. He was dressed similarly to her, comfortable clothing and shoes. He had a small pouch tied to his belt that she would imagine was filled with bits and pieces that he liked to enchant or mess with. 

"You guys should do whatever you want, after all it is your birthdays." Scott recommended as he reached for a scone. Jackson and Allison nodded in agreement. She saw that everyone was wearing the bands that Stiles made for them. 

"We should..."Lydia began.

"Come and train. That sounds like a brilliant plan," Peter suggested.

Stiles and Lydia looked at each other and shrugged. It seemed like the best idea to just do what they would normally do. Plus if something did happen than at least they would be armed and surrounded by plenty of people with weapons. 

So they went with Peter and trained. Allison and Jackson joined them in their training, well Jackson joined them, Allison just kicked everyone's butts. Peter lifted the ban on Scott coming to the training room this one time, but was not allowed to participate for his and everyone else's safety. Derek, Laura, Boyd and Erica elected to not join them but did keep a close eye on everything. 

The rest of the day continued in the same manner, the twins trying to find something to occupy them, their friends joining and the guards keeping a close watch. After training they all decided it was probably best to continue carrying their swords. This was not proper royal protocol, and was technically against the law for visiting royals, but no one seemed willing to say anything about it.

By the time dinner rolled around everyone's nerves seemed to be frayed somewhat. The anxiety of not knowing what was going to happen or when it was going to happen seemed to be getting to them. Stiles tried to joke around, but they all seemed to fall flat. No one knew what to talk about. 

Suddenly, Stiles dropped his fork and sat up straight in his chair. Lydia was automatically on alert and Derek rushed over, followed by Laura. Muffled shouts could be heard in the hall, getting louder and closer. Everyone bolted out of their seats and Boyd and Erica headed toward the door. Jackson and Derek placed themselves in front of Stiles and Lydia with Laura next to Derek. Allison and Scott were next to them as Peter and. Laura and Derek's mother, Talia, captain of the guard, protected the King and Queen. 

The noise outside went quiet and the doors burst opened. Stiles dropped to the floor, unconscious. Lydia crouched and took his head into her lap. She looked up in time to see the beast enter the room and what she saw made her blood run cold. It appeared to have the shape of a human, but the eyes were glowing a bright yellow and it appeared as though it was surrounded by flames. Lydia felt a sense of death surrounding it. She couldn't see any other details of the beast, and she was almost grateful for this.

The vision was like none Lydia had experienced before. It didn't feel as solid as the visions she'd had before. This felt more like a warning and it took control of her before she could react. She saw Boyd and Erica charge for the attack, but the beast just tossed them aside, causing Erica to hit the wall, killing her instantly. Laura would also attack but the fire surrounded the creature would burn her. Jackson and Scott would be sent flying across the room when they and Derek would rush it. The beast would take Derek by the neck and push him to the ground before Derek would pass out from lack of oxygen. Allison would be knocked to the ground as well. Peter and Talia would not make it before the beast would reach the twins. He would take Stiles. 

Lydia was pulled out of the vision and saw that no time had passed. She knew though, knew that no matter what they did, no matter how they fought, the beast would take Stiles. So she did the one thing she could think of that would spare her friends' lives. 

"Stop!" She yelled. Everyone, including the beast, froze and turned to look at her. 

"Lydia was are you doing?" Jackson whispered, the fear was evident in his voice. 

"We know why you are here. I know which of us you have come for. If we don't try to stop you, will you take who you've been sent for and leave? Will you promise to not hurt anyone else tonight?" 

The beast stared at her and tilted it's head, like it was pondering what she had said. She heard Derek let out a low growl as he turned slightly to see that Lydia was holding onto an unconscious Stiles. She saw the moment he realized it was Stiles that would be taken. She had never seen that type of fear in a person's eyes before. She could see he wanted to fight, but some small part of him also knew that whatever Lydia was doing was for everyone's own good. He trusted her enough to make the correct call, she hoped. 

After what felt like an eternity, the beast nodded his head and stepped forward. Instantly all swords were pointed at the beast again. 

"Do not attack, please. Just let it pass, this has to be the way that it happens. Please trust me," Lydia begged, even as she pulled Stiles in closer. 

Laura was the first to move aside, Boyd and Erica followed. Jackson and Scott crouched next to her and Allison backed away. Derek was the last to move which he did slowly. Finally the beast approached. 

"We will find you," Lydia whispered to her twin and then kissed his forehead.

The beast picked Stiles up and carried him out of the hall. Jackson held onto Lydia to keep her from running after them. Derek's resolve to trust Lydia only lasted a few more seconds after that, and then he took off after them. Laura tackled him to the ground before he was able to make it to the door.

"Let me go Laura!" He bellowed over and over as he attempted to knock his sister off of him.

Lydia felt the tears fall as her heart shattered. 


	5. Chapter 5

*LYDIA*

If it had been up to her and Derek, they would have set out after Stiles the second the beast drug him out of the room. They knew this was coming, they were packed and prepared. Lydia tried not to think of the pack with Stiles's stuff they had set out next to her's, just in case it went a different way. 

Looking around at her friends and family though, and she knew they couldn't leave yet. Every one of them looked shaken to the core, they weren't ready to set out on an epic crusade through the night. They didn't have a clue where they were going, and while Derek and Laura were skilled trackers, even they couldn't do much in the pitch black. Lydia was pretty sure Derek wanted to punch a wall in frustration when she pointed that out. 

"We'll leave at dawn bro, it's going to be ok." Laura placed a hand on her brother's shoulder as the pair headed out of the room. Everyone else, but Lydia, Jackson and her parents left shortly after to get some rest before they headed out at dawn. 

"Our poor boy," the queen slumped in her seat, putting her head in her hands. The king put his hand on her shoulder, looking as defeated as his wife. 

"We knew this day was going to come. We prepared the both of them the best that we could. It's up to them now."

"But Stiles didn't find his one true love!" Lydia cried. All of the worry and stress she'd felt finally coming to light. Tears started to blur her vision, until she felt Jackson weave their fingers together. She focused on him, the feel of his hand, the heat coming off of his body, and started to control her breathing, reigning in the tears. 

"We don't know that for sure, for all we know there's something none of us have realized, maybe something even Stiles doesn't know," the king shrugged, but Lydia thought she saw something in his eye, like he knew something she didn't. 

"I hope, or at least I hope we can find a loop hole in the curse." Lydia tried to stay optimistic, and Jackson squeezed her hand in support. 

"We will figure something out. And unfortunately, if anyone can find a loop hole, it'll probably be Stiles," Jackson muttered. Lydia never understood Jackson and Stiles's love/hate relationship. They seemed to respect each other as equals, but were such opposites they seemed to disagree on almost everything. If it wasn't for Lydia, she doubted they would have ever tried to get along. 

"Between us, our friends and Stiles, I'm sure we will figure it out. I know where ever Stiles is that he's going to be working just as hard as we are to find a way to get him home safe." Lydia raised her head and wiped any lingering trace of the tears that threatened to escape. She knew what she had to do and nothing was going to stop her from getting her brother back. 

Jackson and her walked to their rooms, hand in hand in silence. Lydia's mind seemed like it would never go quiet. She was always so sure, deep down, that it would be her that was going to be taken. She planned for it, she trained for it. Of course, she planned if she wasn't the one taken, but that option just never felt as viable. Maybe it was sexist to assume that the female would be the one to be rescued, but once she found Jackson, and Stiles remained alone, she was so sure she was right. Why would the curse say that true love could break the spell if it took the twin that hadn't found their true love. Did the person that put the curse on them know what the fairy did and purposefully chose the one that was without their true love or was the choice always set to be Stiles? 

Her vision also troubled her, she never saw the immediate future, and never saw so much detail. Usually it was a feeling, or a brief image of a place or a person. Were her powers shifting in order to help her on this quest, or was it a one time fluke? She wasn't sure which she preferred. While she wanted all the help and information she could get, this new type of vision was traumatizing. Watching her family and friends be killed in front of her, and then knowing only she had to power to stop it, was so much more weight to add to her shoulders. 

By the time they got to Lydia's room, she was sure that she was not going to get any sleep once again. To her surprise thought, Melissa McCall, the castle physician, was waiting at her door, a cup in her hand. 

"Scott came by and thought that maybe you would need this," Melissa offered out the cup, "It's a small dose of a sleep drought my father use to make for me. I understand you have to leave at dawn, but this should help you get a few hours of rest."

"Please Lydia, you need to get some sleep," Jackson pleaded before she could cut in. She knew it was serious when Jackson begged. He was one to command and sneer at people in order to get his way. 

"Only a few hours right?" Lydia hesitantly took the cup from Melissa and stared down into it. 

"I promise. Go get ready for bed, settle in, and then drink it. The effects should happen quickly," Melissa gave her a small smile, and Lydia noticed how tired the physician looked. Then Lydia remembered, some guards had been injured when the beast arrived, none killed, but a few had very serious wounds. She was sure Melissa had been working none stop since the attack, but still she took time to prepare this for Lydia and bring it to her. Lydia felt a warmth in her chest at the kindness Melissa showed to her. 

"Thank you, I will do just that." 

"I wish you safe travels, and please, make sure Scott stays out of trouble," Melissa responded, a smile tugged at her lips. 

"With McCall, he's bound to find some sort of trouble, but we will do our best," Jackson responded, and gave her a small bow as she left to go back to tending to the injured. 

"I should be preparing for the journey," Lydia started. 

"You will prepare by getting some sleep. You are going to be no good to anyone if you aren't at your sharpest," Jackson interrupted her. 

"I could have not slept for three days and I would still be sharper and smarter than anyone, including you," Lydia snapped, but there was no heat in it. Even fighting with Jackson, one of her favorite past times, seemed to zap her of her strength. 

"I know, but how about we trust the physician on this one and do what we must in order to get Stilinski back." Lydia didn't have any comeback to that, so she just looked down at the cup in her hand and nodded. 

"You'll make sure I'm awake?" she whispered. 

"I am sure you will be awake long before any of us," Jackson gave a half hearted laugh before putting his hand under her chin to force her to look him in the eye, "But I promise that I will not let anyone start anything before we make sure that you are awake and ready to lead us all." 

With that, Lydia nodded again and gave Jackson a quick kiss before retreating into her room. She triple checked her pack, made sure her clothes were set out for tomorrow and finally prepared for sleep. She downed Melissa's drought as fast as she could, trying to ignore the bitter taste it left behind. No sooner had she finished the last drop that she felt her eyes start to fall and her mind started to drift away. 

The last fleeting imagine she saw before succumbing to the darkness was the beast of fire. 


	6. Chapter 6

Stiles awoke with a start, unsure where he was, and with a pounding headache. It took him several minutes to remember what had happened the night before. He remembered dinner, talking with his friends and family, commotion in the hall and looking into bright yellow eyes. Then nothing. 

Given by the light streaming into his room from the window up high and his internal clock, he'd say it was probably no early than 8 in the morning. Stiles had to guess that the beast traveled as fast as a horse, even with carrying an unconscious Stiles. They were probably over 200 miles away from the castle at this point. If they had traveled east they would have hit the ocean, south would keep them in Beacon, north was Argent territory and the west was the Wilds. Stiles didn't smell salt in the air so he doubted they went east. No one was crazy enough to go west towards the Wilds, that's were creatures of old still roamed, so the west was out as well. That meant they were either still in Beacon or Argent territory. Stiles had to guess Argent land, since it was illogical to keep the prince of Beacon anywhere in Beacon territory. 

Hopefully Lydia and their friends were heading in the right direction. Part of Stiles knew that when it would come down to it, something would pull Lydia in the right direction. Probably part of the fae blessing to the twins. 

As Stiles sat up, he looked around at his surroundings. It wasn't a giant room, but it had the bed he was currently in, a desk, and a chair. It was a circular room with a high ceiling that came together in a point. It was a tower. All Stiles could picture were the fairy tale books he and Lydia use to read about the damsel in distress trapped in a high tower guarded by a ferocious beast waiting for their knight to come and rescue them. Stiles snorted at that. 

Cautiously Stiles got off the bed and to his feet. He swayed slightly once he was fully upright, but remained standing. He headed toward the door where he felt a strong magical energy coming from it. He hesitantly reached for the door and was shocked to find that he was able to not only touch the door, but could open it as well. There was still the thrum of energy coming from the archway though. Stiles reached out his hand again but was quick to withdrawal it when he felt the energy sparking towards him. 

He retreated back to his bed and sat down again. He still had his pouch of strings and metals which seemed odd. Who left a spark with their tools? One who knew the spark couldn't escape. Even if there wasn't a spell holding him in this room, the curse would probably also make it impossible to leave. That's a good ol' curse on babies for ya. 

Stiles started pulling out random pieces of string and metal beads and began to weave them together. Stiles wasn't always sure what his spark wanted him to do, but he'd learn to just roll with him. He knew the band he was weaving was part protection and part a balancing charm? It was balancing, not of the body, but of the mind. Whoever this was for was at war with themselves and needed some help finding some inner peace. 

He kept braiding and giving it the magical energy it required. While there were plenty of charms and spells in the world, Stiles learned that his magic liked to be channeled into metal and string as protections or charms for those who needed help. While he was able to control and focus his spark into doing specific spells, he always found that his Spark liked to have some freedom to do what it wanted. It always seemed to work out for him in the end. 

Suddenly Stiles could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. He sat up straight, his project abandoned beside him as he debated if his should smash the chair to make a weapon or not. Before he could make a decision a clocked figure reached the last step and came straight through the archway. This must meant that the spell was focused solely on Stiles, there were only a handful of spells that could focus on a specific target like that. He'd have to give more thought into the matter at a later date. 

The figure was carrying a tray, and without glancing at Stiles, put it down on the desk and started toward the door. 

"Wait, who are you?" Stiles called from where he was standing by the bed. 

The figure paused before turned back to face Stiles. The figure pulled down their cloak to relieve a man only a few years old than him. With brown hair and green eyes, he didn't look like anyone Stiles knew, but yet there was a part of Stiles that recognized the man. 

"I'm Jordan, I will be taking care of you while you are in my master's care," the man answered. 

"Your master? Who is your master?" Stiles asked, hesitantly taking a step closer to the man. 

"My master does not wish to be known at the moment, but don't worry. You will soon understand. My master only wants to help make the world perfect, but can not do it without you." 

"What are you talking about? 'Make the world perfect'? Can't do it 'without me'? How does putting a curse on unborn babies help make the world perfect? That doesn't even make sense," Stiles' mind was reeling at the idea of a curse making things better. 

"You will understand soon. My master was able to help me, she will be able to help you," Jordan looked at him so earnestly, Stiles knew he believed it. 

"How has she been able to help you?" 

"They were able to provide control, by making them self my master. They are able to control the beast within me." Something in Jordan's eye made Stiles pause. Suddenly it hit him.

"You were the Beast that took me last night." It wasn't a question, because Stiles knew it was true. Somehow the man before him was also the same as the Beast. Stiles racked him mind to think of a creature that was able to be both a Beast and human that looked anything remotely like the one he saw last night. 

"Master calls it a Hell Hound, a harbinger of death. Master said without them that I would have been completely taken control of by the Beast," Jordan explained.

Bells went off in Stiles head at the mention of the Hell Hound, but Jordan's description didn't match what he had read. It had been a while but Stiles was sure that he had read that Hell Hounds were more of protectors and a balancing force more than a force of destruction. Then Stiles' mind went to the band that laid forgotten on the bed, the one that held balancing magic and Stiles wondered if maybe the band was meant to help Jordan become the master of his own control. Since the band wasn't ready yet though, he held off on saying anything. 

"I've left food on the tray for you. You need to eat to keep up your strength for the master." With that Jordan replaced his cloak and started toward the door once again. 

"Wait I still have questions!" Stiles hollered after him.

"Like I said, you will soon understand." 


End file.
